Security: Licensing

(asked on 22nd February 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Security Industry Authority (SIA) on the recent implementation of mandatory training and the (a) associated costs and (b) availability of that training for applicants when renewing SIA licences.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 25th February 2022

Following the changes to mandatory training for Door Supervisors and Security Guards in April and October 2021, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) confirmed there continues to be record high numbers of licence holders, indicating a healthy throughput of labour into the private security industry.

To prepare for the introduction of these changes, the SIA worked closely with the industry to develop the new training requirements, following a public consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders over a period of years.

In recognition of the impact of Covid-19, the SIA delayed introducing the changes to allow the industry and training providers more time to prepare for the changes.

The SIA is responsible for ensuring that all licence holders are ‘fit and proper’ persons and have the required skillset and level of training suitable for their chosen sector, via checks made upon application. It would not therefore be appropriate on public safety grounds, to extend licences, without those licence holders being subject to the mandatory checks and training required at application and renewal.

The SIA works closely with the private security industry and with training providers to develop flexible and accessible licence-linked training for all current and prospective licence-holders across the UK. However, the SIA does not have the powers to deliver the training nor to determine the costs, scheduling, and availability of the courses being offered, this is the responsibility of the training providers.

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